Cadillac's sweet 16 raises the bar

AugustCole

DETROIT (CBS.MW) - Cadillac's latest bid to break out of its funk involves going after an ultra high-end buyer that may not have given the brand a close look.

The hook? A 16-cylinder engine in one of the most powerful-looking concept vehicles seen so far at the North American International Auto Show.

Not that moving lower down the food chain hasn't paid off. It has with the CTS sedan, priced near $30,000. That car and the Escalade helped Cadillac turn 2002 into its best sales year since 1990.

Show cars matter a lot to Cadillac. The Evoq coupe in 1999 helped set off the brand's revival and now a similarly derived vehicle is on its way into production.

It's not clear if the XV is going to make it, but it does send a clear message that uptown is where Cadillac is headed next. "We intend to take Cadillac more upscale than it already is," said GM North America president Gary Cowger.

Billed as the swan song for the company's renowned but retiring designer Wayne Cherry, the Sixteen as it's called, has a dangerous elegance that comes from the confidence of having more cylinders than any other car on the road.

Asked if the vehicle would really make it into production, Cowger said show cars like this help inform that kind of decision. If it did, he said, the production run would be on par with something like the Maybach super-premium sedan from Mercedes. Prices? No details but if you have to ask ...

Judging by the applause at the description of the 1000-horsepower and 13.6 liter engine, the vehicle's emotional appeal to the audience was immediate. On the rational side, the engine can manage 20 miles per gallon on the highway because only the needed cylinders of the sweet 16 are used. Four cylinders for cruising, eight for passing and all of them "just having fun," said Cowger.

With the GM car czar at the wheel, the idling engine was all but silent with none of the truck-like rumble of the 10-cylinder Viper. Cadillac also showed a large wagon-like vehicle, the SRX, that clearly advanced the styling brought into the mainstream by the CTS.

Ford rallies for century milestone

Ford Motor CEO Bill Ford Jr. answered critics who have called for more substance to the company's year-old pledge to produce vehicles of such quality and interest that they will help the No. 2 automaker get back on its financial feet for its 100th birthday.

"Today, we are delivering on that promise," said Ford Jr. in a midday Sunday unveiling of new concept vehicles and future products at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "We have begun the biggest wave of new products in our history," he said of the more than 15 new designs or models unveiled at the show.

Hip Honda

Bathed in steel-blue light, Honda's
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demonstration area would be unremarkable were it not for the two DJ turntables set up on a cinder block stand. It would be one thing to have turntables ready to roll but to mount them on cinder blocks shows no small amount of street savvy. Though of course it's scripted, it's a promising detail for a company that now faces down Toyota's new Scion line, targeted squarely at the youth market who are meant to buy the Honda Element SUV.

Nissan's extended family

The Quest minivan has finally joined the lineup of Nissan's lookers. The minivan segment isn't a fast growing one but with about 1 million sold in the U.S. in a year, it's a segment that can't be ignored. Nissan targets about 80,000 Quests a year with its redesigned model, knowing that buyers in this segment do comparatively more research than others. Now, with the introduction of a new full-size truck that won't be released until Tuesday and the already popular Z, Nissan can now offer a full line of vehicles. "I don't think we've gone overly broad," said Jed Connelly, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Nissan North America. Rather, dealers like the increased range.

Executives do too, knowing that each model helps reinforce the company's image. The new big truck, Connelly said, could reinforce Nissan's identity as "truck people." In turn, that could lift sales of the smaller Frontier, he said.

Even if Nissan can't steal the "fiercely loyal" big truck buyers from General Motors
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or Ford, it can still do well. "The people who come to fill size, they come from somewhere," he said.

Bed-time for Cheyenne

General Motors unveiled a concept pickup with a pair of side doors built into the rear cargo bed. That's in addition to the cab's four doors and the rear tailgate. Designed to give easier access to the forward part of the bed, the feature has yet to be put into a production vehicle. The truck, called the Chevrolet Cheyenne, effectively has seven doors.

Car and truck of the year: Mini and mighty

The Mini Cooper won the North American car of the year title for 2003. It's not the first accolade for the pint-size coupe but it does show that the BMW-produced car has won over the motoring press who voted for the award. Another European contender took the truck honors. Yes, the truck. Hailing from Sweden, Volvo's SUV won the truck of the year spot, beating out much rougher-looking rivals like the Hummer H2 and the Subaru Baja.

Audi: Hooked on speed

Audi introduced to North America its fastest sedan ever, which should stand as one of the quickest production cars ever built. The RS6 will be sold here in the U.S. with almost 500 horsepower. Hot on its heels will be the V8 S4, the go-fast version of the artful A4. And the Allroad, the go-anywhere, rough-road answer to high-speed motoring, will get a V8 after being available with a twin-turbo six-cylinder engine. The RS6 and S4 are as subtle as they are fast. No wings, no untoward fender flares.

British brand invasion

Sitting not far from the polished aluminum body of the new Jaguar XJ, Mike O'Driscoll says the British marques of Ford Motor Co. are all the stronger for being grouped together. "I think the formation of the British group ... has to some extent helped because there's a size to it, a heft to it. It's no longer simply three individual but very small niche brands," said O'Driscoll who is responsible for Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin in the United States.

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